The MTB thread

[Paul the 6th]

cheers guys, only reason I say I'm taking a lot of water is because at dalby when we did the red route (80% of it) my camelbak was empty at the 15 mile mark (3L) and I started to panic. I normally drink 2-3 litres of water a day anyway so I vowed I'd always have spare next time I'm riding on trails/in the wild. So 3l camelbak and then 2 x 750ml sports bottles, so I can have bottles in the car afterwards. Quite happy to carry the extra weight/volume even if it means there's some left at the end.

Eaten really well today and drank lots, plenty of healthy carbs, gonna get off to bed in a min. Never tried torq gels before but decided to buy some whilst at evans cycles yesterday; the guy in the shop said "as soon as you feel like you need an energy boost, take one with a good drink of water.. if you wait till you're really knackered then it'll take about 20 mins for the gel to be absorbed by which time you'll be buggered"

Thought they were worth trying but got flapjacks & chocolate cornflake cluster things. Gonna take a decent sandwich with me as well so it's not sugary chocolate snacks all day. Should be a nice steady day out I hope, taking my mate with me; he's never done proper trail riding and is borrowing his dad's full suspension £150 halfords type bike, but should be a good day out for the boys

[Paul the 6th]

Originally Posted by xXBADGERXx

Exactly Northy , eat the correct food before the route and have a few goodies to hand . I like the good old fashioned Malt Loaf ..... although they can get a tad "Squeeky" to eat in very cold weather

went mental on malt loaf 2 weeks ago, now I can't eat it without getting rockin' indigestion

There is an equation for water which I think equated as "For every Half Hour of hard exercise , a litre of water is to be consumed" . Now they classed hard exercise as "breathing so hard you cannot talk" . Now on rides I don`t think we actually get that bad as a rule . I take a sip on the "little and often" premise . I start drinking before I think I need it as if you are getting a dry mouth then it is already too late . I have a 3 litre Deuter pack in my Karrimor and that has sufficed for some 30 mile epics and only just ... and they were hard going as well . So hydrating before and having some spare in the car is a good idea , if you feel the need to carry a bit more then do so mate as you know yourself better than anyone but don`t over carry for the sake of it . As far as gels go , yeah they can be handy , but it is more important to prep for rides with hydration and food beforehand , and use a little confidance booster along the way

[Paul the 6th]

Cool beans cheers man, need to get my fitness up a bit more & then get on some org MTb weekends. Will report back with pics & info tomorra

Well , I`ll let you all know now , I am back on the trails as of next weekend , secured a deal on a 2006 Specialized Enduro and I am picking it up when I pop down to London next weekend . The road cycling on the Cyclocross has been fun , but not a patch when it comes to cranking yourself up an ascent and then throwing yourself down . I should be back on Saturday night and might try and sling a visit to Llandegla in on the Sunday to see how the bike performs compared to my old Patriot and the Hemlock

Hi guys, quick bit of advice. I've just got myself a pair of Stans Crest rims but my current tyres, Kenda Nevegals, are an absolute bugger to get on, I can't get the rear on at all! Has anyone any experience of these rims or similar? Looking around it seems that some tyres just don't fit these rims for love nor money but having just got a set of Rebas as well I don't think I can push my luck with the boss and spend yet more money on the bike and get another set of tyres! It seems that 2011 Schwalabe tyres fit ok but 2012 tyres are slightly smaller making them a sod to fit!

I'm seriously thinking of sending them back and getting a set of Mavics!

[northwind]

Are they wire-bead Nevegals or folding? Folding ones ought to go on pretty easily, tbh it's all just technique but tubeless rims do tend to be a wee bit tighter than standard rims so it's technique you might not have needed before.

But all it really comes down to is making sure that the tyre is down in the well of the rim, rather than on the bead- that's what gives you the slack.

(Stans Flows and Nevegal 2.35s here but I've mounted them to Crests too)

Slather them in diluted Fairy Liquid and try and pop them on ?

Cheers guys, they're the folding ones so no probs with wire beads. I've watched a few videos on how to put them on properly and I'm going to get some astans yellow tape as the superstar stuff makes it difficult to get the bead in the centre well......I think!

I'm a bit hesitant about using fairy to get them on as I'd be stuffed when out if I got a flat unless I carry a bottle around with me if all else fails I'll give the fairy a go though. Will update tomorrow with either smiles or foul language.....

Hmmm , think I`ll stick with tubes